She's Not Talking
by Violetrose25
Summary: The team is assigned to protect a young woman named Melissa, who is being hunted by a recently escaped Loki. Aside from keeping her safe, it's their job to find out what he wants from her. But she's not talking... literally. (M for violence & smut. Will end in a romance with the OC and somebody. ;) Slight AU.
1. Chapter 1

**So I've been wanting to write something like this for a while, and I really hope you all enjoy. Please review, feedback is always appreciated.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own a goddamn thing, because if I did, I wouldn't be writing this. Not making money unless Marvel wants to hire me. *Hint hint.***

* * *

"Just another day in paradise." Skye said tiredly, leaning her hand against her hand.

Don't get her wrong, being on this plane was great, really it was. All the exciting explosions, almost-deaths, and meeting aliens... exciting! But... going nearly a month without a mission could get a little, you know... dull. Not to mention awkward. Being around Ward all the time was getting uncomfortable, for obvious reasons. He still didn't trust her. Which she could understand, completely! But with the whole staff-of-rage-berserker thing... it kind of made the situation worse.

The evil glares and snide comments got more frequent, not to mention his whole cold-shoulder treatment... it hurt. It really hurt. But hey, she kinda deserved it so... yeah. Besides, these things take time.

But was a freaking alien artifact too much to ask for? Or maybe a trip to Tahiti, Coulson is always saying it's a magical place! Ugh. Skye trudged around the lounge area, plopping down by a window seat. The sun was getting lower, the sky (ha-ha) painted an exquisite pink. She had to admit, it was beautiful up here. But not nearly enough to soothe the poor hacker.

So she went down the spiral staircase, watching Leo and Jemma argue in the lab. Skye rolled her eyes. The sexual tension was palpable between them, and the two were as clueless as could be. She'd say the same about Coulson and May but... those two were unreadable. Or just May. She was like, scarily unreadable. Like in a 'you don't know if she's plotting your death or thinking about what to watch on TV tonight' kind of way.

Skye was just about to say fuck it and go read a book, when Coulson came jogging down the stairs. Behind him was Grant, though he didn't seem too thrilled. Upon seeing that, the scientists exited their science-cave.

"What's up, doc?" Skye asked, secretly relieved.

"We've got an assignment. May's taking the plane back to base. They've got something for us to pick up."

"What is it?" Leo asked.

Coulson shrugged. "We don't know yet. All we know is that it's very important."

"Hope it's not another little box of horrors, I don't want another gaping hole in the plane." Skye mumbled.

"No, no. Fury doesn't want to pay for anymore damages."

Coulson briefly huffed at the fact that he couldn't put in a fish-tank like he wanted. Ward began to speak. "We will just have to wait and see. I guess we have to hope for something simple."

"It's not simple if they won't even tell us what it is!" Skye exclaimed.

Grant sighed. "We'll be debriefed when we get there."

* * *

It had been a topic of heavy discussion, what might be awaiting them at base. The mystery breathed life back into the team, which was a relief. Skye was convinced it was an alien weapon, why else would it be so hush-hush?

Leo and Jemma firmly believed they were going to carrying some new contamination. It would be there as a sort of precaution, isolating it.

Neither Grant nor Coulson voiced their opinions, but everybody was curious. Just because you put in a bunch of restrictions, systems, and levels of security, incident mean people would stop wondering. Investigating. That was why Skye opposed the whole damn system. Because it discouraged curiosity.

For six hours the debate raged between the three of them. When the plane began descending, everyone was near busting a gut with the dreaded feeling of curiosity. Quietly the aircraft landed at some classified location. Of course it was classified, everything was classified.

Grant and Could in were the first out,followed by May. The three youngest members exited last, walking out onto a familiar desert runway. May and Grant were talking with two random agents, both dressed in plain black.

"What's going on?" Skye whispered.

"They're discussing... things." Leo replied.

"Things we're not supposed to be involved in, probably." His female companion added, a small obedient smile on her face.

"I think we have a right to know what's going on. I want to know what the he'll we're transporting."

"Be patient. We'll know when we're supposed to."

Skye huffed, crossing her arms. "I'm going over there."

"No no no..." Jemma tried grabbing her arm, wanting to prevent her from getting into trouble.

Of course Skye just brushed her off, waltzing over there."Hey, what's going on over here? And what exactly got the high and mighty system to call us down, anyway?"

The bitter edge in her voice was apparent. She hasn't exactly forgiven these bastards for sending the boys into deadly territory without any rescue or Grant could ream her, Coulson reappeared, a young woman trailing behind him. She was a pretty girl, still in her early twenties by the looks of it. Skinny, all the clothes she was in hanging off excessively.

The woman had long, very dark hair... Not quite black, but close. It hung around her face, which was oval in shape and scattered with freckles. Her arms, exposed in her black tank top, were wrapped prospectively over her chest. Eyes as blue as the sky. But... one could immediately tell something was wrong with her. From those frightened eyes to her reserved posture to her submissive gait... fear radiated from the poor girl.

"Everyone this is Melissa. She's going to be going with us tonight." Coulson announced.

... So this was their cargo huh? Well... at least it wasn't another exploding box.

AUTHORS NOTE: HOPE THIS WAS GOOD! THANKS FOR READING! TELL ME IF ANYBODY IS OUT OF CHARACTER OR SOMETHING. I DO WANT THIS TO BE A GOOD STORY.


	2. Chapter 2

Melinda watched as Coulson walked out with the girl, Melissa. What she noticed immediately was how thin the young lady was. Not to mention how... scared she looked. Drawn inwards upon herself. Melissa barely stood to look anybody around her in the eye. From what May had been told, she'd been found in one of Loki's secret hide-outs, crouched down in the furthest corner. She'd been there for some time, malnourished and traumatized. That was probably why she had yet to speak to any of the agents.

And that was part of their job. To get her to talk. Melinda immediately took pity on her. Despite her normally unreadable, or even angry demeanor, she wasn't heartless. Melinda May didn't normally take pity, but this one was a special case. Did she trust this girl? No. Melinda had already made that mistake too many times, and hadn't even been surprised when Skye betrayed the team. But this was different from taking care of a suspect or criminal.

Melissa was just an innocent bystander caught up in a really fucked up situation. That was why, when Grant and Agent Coulson were about to debrief the younger teammates, May offered this:

"I'm going to escort our guest onto the bus. She looks like she could use some food."

And without another word, Melinda went to introduce herself. This Melissa met her with apprehensive eyes, her entire form recoiling as the senior agent approached. Not that May blamed her.

"Melissa?" She said.

The girl nodded, if only one quick shake of the head. "My name is Agent Melinda May. I'm here to help you. Would you mind coming with me onto the plane over there?" She pointed to their old hunk of metal.

Melissa again gave her quick nod and obediently followed the agent across the runway. All the junior agents were following the pair with their eyes, curious as to the origins of this mysterious young woman. Melinda paid them no mind, they were young. Curiosity was natural, if dangerous and in some cases deadly. Well... it might not be curiosity as much as stupidity.

Once on the lower deck, Melissa looked around cautiously, as if searching for some illusive perpetrator.

"It's alright." Melinda assured. "You're safe."

Of course the girl didn't buy this for a minute, but her shoulders did relax the tiniest bit. Her eyes fixed on Coulson's prized car, Lola, for a minute. May watched as she examined the vehicle with a sort of fascination. Melissa caught sight of her refection in the cherry red surface. It didn't seem to please her, seeing as she immediately backed away from it. And May didn't blame her for that either.

"Come on, do you want something to eat?"

That statement immediately caught Melissa's attention. She nodded enthusiastically, and May led her up the spiral staircase. There was a small kitchen to their right, where the team mostly ate. May couldn't help but notice how YOUNG she was. Probably a couple years younger than Skye, maybe the same age as Simmons. What could Loki want with a girl like this? She was extremely traumatized, so May assumed she'd been beaten to some extent. Or raped. Possibly both.

She decided right then that whatever questions that needed to asked, they could wait. Maybe in a week, after she's acclimated to their bus a bit. Melissa had not spoken to any of the agents since they found her... two weeks ago. That said something right there.

The girl sat quietly in a seat, eyes obviously thankful. Melinda was extremely talented at reading body language, so communicating with this silent girl was probably a bit easier for her than other people.

"What can I make you, Melissa?" May asked.

She shrugged sheepishly.

"How about some scrambled eggs and bacon? Does that work for you?"

Melissa nodded. The agent got to work, cracking eggs and starting up the frying pan. She poured the girl a glass of milk. May thought some calcium might do her some good, along with protein. Obviously she needed it. From her guess, Melinda estimated her at 96 lbs, maybe 100. If this is what she weighed now, God only knows how skinny Melissa was when she was originally found. Melissa drank greedily, trying to down the glass in one chug.

"Take it easy. You don't want to make yourself sick." She warned.

In her experience, May learned that chugging liquids, especially dairy products, can end in very bad results. Of course, the young woman didn't listen. At this point she didn't care one way or the other. Sighing, Melinda May went back to the scrambled eggs. It didn't take very long before they were ready to go. She threw them on a plate with the bacon, added some pepper, and set it down in front of their guest.

"Eat up."

She dug in, not even giving a damn about it being hot off the stove. Again, that expression of thanks crossed her face.

"You're welcome, Melissa." Melinda said.

* * *

"So you're saying she hasn't spoken AT ALL?" Skye asked.

"Yes." Coulson replied.

"Well then how did they manage to get her name?" Jemma inquired.

"The power of internet files. She's an American exchange student who was in Germany for her winter semester. A friend must have invited her to that gala we found Loki at. And... well... he took her before we got there. Or more, Barton did."

Everybody was silent for a minute. Agent Barton was still a sore spot for Coulson, even Skye knew this. It was painful for Phil, knowing one of his best men, one he was responsible for, had been under Loki's spell. And it had changed both Barton and Coulson because of it. But, like he does, Coulson shook it off and focused on the task at hand.

"It seems as though Loki had been keeping her in an underground base we hadn't found until a few months ago. The place is a maze, catacombs and dead ends. She must have been lost in there. And there weren't a lot of rations so... apparently Melissa was eighty pounds when we found her."

"Good god! She could have died from that kind of malnutrition!" Fitz exclaimed.

"I know, it's tragic. She was starving, traumatized, and lost. We don't know what Loki did to her... at least not the full extent. She had a lot of healing bruises when we got to her. At first Melissa was trying to beat the agents off with a pipe she'd been clutching."

"But why would he want somebody like her? She's just a normal girl, right? Did she have some sort of family heritage or something?" Simmons asked.

Ward sighed. "That's what we're going to find out. Maybe we could use the truth serum-"

"No, no. She's not our prisoner, Ward. We're her protectors. Witness protection, really."

The agent nodded curtly. "What do we know about her life, aside from college? Was she a science major?" Skye offered.

"No. Arts, actually. She was trying to become a painter. Before that she lived in Ohio, in a little college town called Athens with her parents. No military or scientific training of any kind. No powerful connections, either. Her mother was a professor until she died, her father was a stay-at-home-dad until he began writing books." Grant explained.

"So there is absolutely no help in her history." Leo mumbled, scratching the back of his head.

"I say we just give her some time. Eventually she'll get comfortable enough around us to talk." Coulson assured.

"Where will she stay? How long will she stay? And... why with us?" Jemma asked.

"Well... we don't know. The thing is, Loki has escaped from prison."

"Don't you think you should have lead with that?!" Leo exclaimed.

"Yeah... I wanted to ease into that part. We figured it was safest if she was on a consistently moving location. Because we fear he may still be after her. As for where she'll stay... well I suppose somebody will just have to share their bunk. Now we better get going, it's getting late."

And with that, Coulson headed back onto the bus, Grant following close behind. The three junior agents exchanged glances for a minute, as if telepathically deciding who shares.

"Whoever gets to the plane last shares." Skye announced, immediately taking off in a run.

"That's not fair!" Fitz called, running after her.

And, sighing, Simmons began walking back to the plane. "Guess I'll have a roommate." She mumbled.

AUTHORS' NOTE: HOPE YOU ALL LIKED! THANKS FOR READING/SUPPORTING! ANY GUESSES ON WHAT'S SO SPECIAL ABOUT LITTLE MELISSA?


	3. Chapter 3

For the next week Melissa stayed in Jemma's bunk. She would come out for meals and bathroom trips, but that was pretty much the full extent of it. And, during this period, she still did not speak. Didn't even try to. But the odd thing was that she didn't... need to. Melissa seemed to have this extraordinary way of communicating her needs and emotions.

If she was feeling apologetic, like she was when she first moved into the very small bunk in question, her eyes would widen like a kicked puppy and her mouth would slope down at the corners. When she was grateful, Melissa would give the smallest smile and her face would just read the emotion on her face. But normally her face was intimidated, her body drawn inward upon itself, or her expression was blank.

"Agent May?" Jemma called. "Can we PLEASE move our guest somewhere else? Why can't we put her in the interrogation room, like we did with the girl who was being haunted or-"

"-The last thing that poor girl needs is to be locked inside a solitary room. All that would do is set us back even further with trying to get her comfortable around us. Melissa is not a prisoner, she is somebody we're trying to protect."

Melinda May had developed a protective feeling towards the young girl. She was obviously traumatized, and something in her eyes made her feel... almost maternal. Melissa was always so wide-eyed and afraid, too nervous a wreck to come near anybody without flinching.

"Why can't she just sleep on the couch?"

She shot her a disapproving glance. "Keep her on the couch for God knows how long? That's not very hospitable."

Jemma sighed. "Well she can't just keep herself locked in my room the whole time she's here! We have to do something!"

And, as if on cue, Coulson came down the stairs. He'd overheard this little exchange.

"Is there a problem?" He crossed his arms.

"Agent Simmons thinks we need to do something about Melissa's... isolation. She suggested we move her to a different room."

Coulson sighed. "I suppose it's time we try and talk to her again."

"Should I get the others?" Agent May asked.

"No. Maybe some one-on-one conversation will ease her a bit. But... would you mind if I borrowed your room, Agent Simmons?"

"Sure. Just give it back when you're done."

Coulson chuckled. "I will."

* * *

Phil sat across from Melissa, who was wrapped in a blanket. Her eyes read apprehension, there seemed to be some sort of calculating to them. Melissa was trying to get a good read on the Agent. They'd only met once before, in that interrogation room back at base. Back then she was too terrified to even think properly.

"Hello Melissa. Do you remember me?"

She nodded, slowly and carefully.

"Good. Now listen, I'm here to help. But you have to be willing to talk to me. Do you think you could do that?"

This got a very odd reaction. Melissa pushed her body backwards, pressing herself up against the wall. She shook her head incessantly, as to say _'NO NO NO NO!" _It was rather shocking to Coulson. But it's not like he hasn't dealt with traumatized victims before. He'd been trained for things like this.

"Hey, hey, you're alright." He said, approaching her slowly.

She flinched. "I'm not here to hurt you, Melissa." He said softly.

Her body softened a little. Coulson put a hand tenderly on his shoulder.

"See? Everything's fine. This is a safe place." He offered her a welcome, friendly smile.

Melissa studied him for a long time before relaxing. Coulson waited patiently for her feel comfortable enough to say something. When that didn't happen, he tried asking her again:

"Can you talk to me?"

Her reaction wasn't as violent, but she did shake her head in a 'No' gesture.

"Why not?"

She raised her left hand and tapped it against her throat (which had some light hand-shaped bruises) lightly. Then Melissa raised it to cover her mouth and shake her head.

"You... can't speak?"

Her head swerved back and forth once, briskly, confirming his statement. "Hmm... I'll be right back. I have an idea."

Coulson stepped outside of the bunk to get a pad of paper and a pen. Jemma and Melinda were waiting patiently outside, wondering what was transpiring inside that little room.

"What's going on?" Asked the younger agent.

"I'm finally making progress." Replied Phil simply, as he re-entered the room.

Melissa had kept her position, not moving an inch since Coulson had left her there. It seemed though, that when she was alone, Melissa was much more relaxed than when she was around other people.

"Melissa... I brought you this." He handed her the paper and pen. "Can you explain to me what happened to you? Why can't you speak?"

Immediately she began writing. Coulson didn't have to wait long for her reply. On the faded, yellow paper, there was one word written in plain black ink:

**_LOKI _**

AUTHORS NOTE: THANK YOU ALL FOR READING! HAPPY NEW YEARS! SORRY FOR THE LACK OF UPDATES LATELY, BETWEEN MIDTERMS AND RELATIVES, MY LIFE HAS BEEN A BIT HECTIC. ANYWAY, HOPE YOU ALL ENJOYED!


	4. Chapter 4

BACKSTORY TIME, PEOPLE!

* * *

Melissa put on her gown, the blue beading sparkling down the skirt. She stared at her reflection, disbelieving of her appearance. Thanks to her very, very rich German friend Hilda, she was going to a gala tonight. And, thanks to them wearing the same size clothes, she let her borrow this gown for the night. She felt like some sort of weird Cinderella... if Cinderella had the mind of a 21st century art student. Also without the evil stepmother and sisters.

But WOW she looked amazing. Melissa couldn't believe the image in the mirror could even be related to her. Lips as red as the bloodiest rose, eyes doused in eyeliner and brilliant blue eyeshadow. All her freckles were covered up with base, and were instead painted a delicate pink. A sapphire choker decorated her slender neck, making her look, for once in her life, sexy!

"Melissa!" Called Hilda. "It's time to go!"

She spoke in German, which Melissa was fluent in.

"Coming, Hilda!" She replied.

Outside her dressing room, the tall blonde awaited her, all dressed up in wine red. "Oh my god! You look amazing!"

"You do too! The red is a really good colour on you." Melissa complimented.

"Well come on, we'll be late if we don't leave now." Hilda took Melissa's hand and led her out the door, both young women filled with excitement.

* * *

As soon as the two stepped out of the limousine, Melissa felt out of place. She was a commoner amongst the rich and famous. Her family didn't have a vast wealth or powerful connections. She was just a poor little American girl. All the old insecurities and doubts Melissa was prone to crept back up on her, freezing her body in place. Suddenly stepping inside was a very intimidating prospect.

"Hilda, I- I don't think I can do this. I don't belong here."

She sighed. "Nonsense! We've been over this, Melissa, and you're going to be fine. Nobody is going to notice you're different from everybody else. Just enjoy yourself! Eat, drink, mingle!" She suddenly gave the American girl a very devilish smirk.

"You might even take some lucky boy home tonight."

Melissa rolled her eyes. "Me? Take somebody home?"

"Yes, Melissa! You're a very pretty girl, and any man would be lucky to have you!"

"Well you know me..." She replied weakly, rubbing the back of her neck. "Listen. I just... I need to calm down. You go ahead inside, I need some air."

Hilda sighed. "Don't take too long. It'll be boring without you, you know."

Melissa smiled. "I know. See you soon."

The two hugged and parted. Melissa walked slowly over to the side of the building, hoping to clear her head. She'd been nervous about coming to this gala for weeks, and with good reason. She'd never been anywhere especially fancy or prestigious, and had no idea what to expect. How should she behave? How the hell was she going to talk to other people who were in an entirely different social class?!

Ugh, sometimes Melissa thought taking a semester in Germany wasn't such a good idea. No, no, she didn't mean that. It had been her dream to explore other countries, take in the culture and artwork. It was just... homesickness or something.

The brunette had just reached the side of the building in time to see an arrow flying towards her face. She screamed. As an almost natural reaction, her little secret kicked in. The little power she'd kept under wraps for the entirety of her life.

Using the force of telekinesis, _real_ telekinesis, she stopped the arrow an inch from her face. Melissa was shivering, thinking about just how close she came to death. She relinquished her power, and dropped the weapon.

"My my..." She heard from behind her. "What do we have here?"

She spun to see a tall man in a tuxedo, a scarf hanging over his shoulders. Long inky black hair fell around his shoulders, a wide smirk plastered on his face. In his left hand was a cane, which he was leaning against. Melissa wasn't sure what was going on, but she DID know she'd stumbled into something that was very, very bad news.

"Wh-whatever's happening, I swear I won't tell anybody. Take my money, take the jewels... don't hurt me." She pleaded.

The man crossed his arms. "Why would a woman with your power fear anybody?"

"I- I-" She didn't know what to say.

Melissa had never really used her power. Hell, she didn't even know how to control it, or how it worked! From the time she was very young, her parents had made it a point for Melissa to not use it. Not to mention it. Not to even think about it. And that's exactly what she did. Like anything worth repressing, Melissa pushed it to the back of her mind, never even bothering to practice it. Her parents made her afraid that if she used it, somebody evil would take her away.

They'd given her nightmares a couple times, to be honest.

"Should I take her out, sir?" Asked the arrow-shooter from behind.

The black haired man held up a hand. "No, don't. She could prove very useful. A telekinetic... what a find this is."

And suddenly, the cane he'd been holding turned into a scepter. The top of it was a sort of knife, curved and deadly. A little ball of blue hung within this curve.

"Please don't kill me."

"I would never dream of it. Somebody with your gift..." He tapped the scepter against her chest. "Is a valuable asset."

But, for whatever reason, nothing happened. Melissa wasn't sure what was supposed to happen, but obviously it hadn't gone as planned. Confusion crossed his features.

"Odd, this usually works."

"Wh-what works?"

"This!" He tapped it again.

Melissa just stood there. The confusion turned to frustration. "Well... damn." He put the scepter down (for which Melissa was undoubtedly relieved) and began to think.

After what seemed like hours, his eyes lit up. "Aha! I have a better idea! Barton, tie her up!" The man commanded.

Suddenly the suit disappeared, being replaced by golden armour and a flowing green cape. Atop his head, a horned helmet towered over all three of them. Melissa's jaw dropped.

"Who are you?"

"I am Loki, of Asgard. And I have decided that, once I overtake this wretched planet, you shall become my concubine. Such children we shall produce!"

This frightened Melissa to the core of her being. Loki?! The Nordic god!? And he-he wanted to-

"HELP!" Melissa screamed. "HELP ME PLEEEEAAASSEE!"

"Silence you whining cunt!" Loki ordered.

Melissa paid no mind. She was not about to let this happen, any of it! She may not have been strong, or brave, and she couldn't control the power she was born with, but this just sent Melissa over the edge. Somebody was coming this way, thank god.

"HE'S OVER HERE! KILL HIM! HE'S GOING TO-" And that's when Loki hit her for the first time.

Melissa reeled in back in pain and shock, but did not halt in her warning.

"KILL HIM! SHOOT THIS BASTARD DOWN! DO IT BEFORE-"

Loki put both his hands around Melissa's neck. "So, I see you have difficulty following orders, you defiant wench! But no matter, I have the sure way to keep you silent."

Being a skilled sorcerer, Loki had memorized countless spells. One of which was perfect for this exact situation. Pulling out a small leather sack, the god had begun chanting in a language nobody had heard aloud in thousands of years... pure, unadulterated Latin.

_"Magicae vires ab antiques, ut decretum_

_Quod vox illa profatis_

_Ut in hac animam ejus de ea, et foetae_

_Semper sit mecum et"_

Melissa felt something being pulled out of her throat by some invisible force, exiting from her mouth in a ball of light and glowing ball, the color of sunset, went obediently into the bag. Loki tied it up and strung it back on his belt.

_'What did you do to me?'_ Melissa wanted to ask. But, due to the spell that had just been cast, she couldn't. Melissa couldn't say a thing. _'HELP!'_ She screamed internally, as Loki had her taken away, transported to his underground base.

And as she was thrown into the dungeon, the god spoke to 'Barton.'

"Make sure you correct her if she tries anything. That goes for everybody. Take whatever means necessary to teach her obedience. But..." he paused, glancing at the young woman. "If any of you touches her, lustfully, I shall kill you where you stand. Melissa belongs to me. NOBODY. ELSE."

Barton nodded. "Yes sir."

Melissa cowered in the corner, terrified of whatever was to come. And in her case, that meant weeks of severe beatings and starvation.

AUTHORS' NOTE: SO I HOPE YOU ALL ENJOYED! SORRY IF IT ISN'T TOO GOOD OR ANYTHING. BUT ANYWAY, THANKS FOR READING AND SUPPORTING!


	5. Chapter 5

The entire team had gathered to hear Melissa's story, Agent May having set the bus into autopilot. Everyone was gathered in the lounge area. The poor young woman had written it all down, giving the full details of her story. After Loki had been captured, some of the soldiers (who weren't under his control), had stayed for a couple more weeks, thinking Loki would return. They kept beating her. Starving her. Until they heard about a potential raid, and they all scrammed. Melissa was left to die there in the maze.

"Oh my god." Skye whispered. "I'm so sorry..."

Melissa nodded, as if to say it was alright. Coulson, standing beside her, had one more question to ask. A painful one at that.

"Uh... Melissa?"

She looked to him, pen and paper in hand.

"I have one more question. When you were in captivity, Did Loki... uh..." The agent found himself struggling to speak the words.

Melissa rotated her hand, in the universal 'come on, come on' gesture. Her sweet little smile and bright blue eyes made it hard for him to ask. But it was protocol, to get every detail down exactly.

"Did he... accomplish his mission with you?"

She sighed, then wrote: "_You mean did he RAPE me?"_

"Yeah."

She shook her head, and continued.

"_Between his party-crashing, getting 'kidnapped' by you all, and invading New York, Loki didn't have the time. Thank God, of course. I think he was waiting until his take-over to tackle that... so to speak."_

"Okay, good. That's good. I'm glad to hear that."

Melissa smiled. Agent May stood there, hiding all her emotions as usual. Beneath her calm poker face, Melinda was seething with rage. To think that somebody could do all that to an innocent girl... not that she was surprised, but Melinda was disgusted.

"Well, I suppose the objective now is find Loki and force him to undo your spell." She said.

Melissa nodded. "_Thank you, you all have been very kind. And, if you want me to move to a different room, I will."_

Jemma opened her mouth to speak, but Melissa put up her hand and wrote something else.

"_Just because I can't speak, doesn't mean I can't hear. And I hate to be a burden." _

"Oh you... you're not a burden... all I wanted to for you to get out a bit. You locked yourself away for a week, I was worried." Jemma explained, struggling to regain her pride.

Melissa gave her a small Thank You smile, and proceeded to move back to said room and pack up all the clothes that SHEILD had supplied her with. Most of them were the bleak black she'd come onto the bus with, nothing more than the essentials. Not really her style, but Melissa was just grateful to be in something that wasn't caked with weeks worth of dirt, sweat, blood and tears.

She had decided to move to the lounge area, feeling the couch was large enough for her comfort. She'd use the little community bathroom to change and do all of the things one DOES in a bathroom. Luckily it had a shower too, so that was nice. Also it was on the same floor as the kitchen.

When she explained this to the team, everyone agreed it would best for her. Ward promised to respect her space, giving her a curt nod. Skye, without saying so, could tell that she was going to enjoy Melissa a lot more now that she was talking... well... interacting with others.

Jemma, of course, was just glad to have her bunk back to herself. Leo was glad that Jemma was glad, it meant she'd be her old self again when was happy that Melissa had found her own space, and promised not to let anyone intrude when she was in the bathroom.

Coulson, the last one still in Melissa's new 'space', sat down.

"Melissa?"

She nodded.

"Uh... just so you know my office is right down the hall, so you don't have to come far if you need anything. Just holler anytime, I don't mind when. And if... something happens..." Coulson pulled out a tazer. "... Use this. This is from Melinda and I. It gives your target a good 50,000 volts. It's not technically supposed to be seen by civilians so... don't tell anybody okay?"

She nodded enthusiastically, smiling wide. '_Thank you, thank you SO much."_ She wrote.

"Nah, no need. Anyway... goodnight I suppose. See you in the morning, Melissa."

'_Goodnight, Agent Coulson. Say... what's your first name?"_

"Phil." He replied, giving her a small smile back.

He began walking back to his office, and made it halfway there before turning around. "Oh, and Melissa... be careful with the tazer. Make sure your target is hostile before shooting. You wouldn't accidentally want to fry me or Jemma, he-he." He chuckled.

Melissa gave him a firm thumbs up, waving him goodnight. Finally the agent went back into his office, sighing once he closed the door. He felt truly bad for the girl, all the horror she'd been through. And when he thought of how cheerful and happy she'd been this evening... He could only imagine how bubbly and happy Melissa was before all this.

And he knew from personal experience, it was a long, long road back to recovery from that kind of trauma.

AUTHORS' NOTE: SORRY THIS IS A SHORT CHAPTER, EVERYBODY! IT'LL BE LONGER NEXT TIME! ANYWAY, HOPE YOU ALL LIKED. THANKS SO MUCH FOR READING AND SUPPORTING.

P.S.: HE-HE, CAN YOU SEE WHERE THIS IS GOING? ;)


	6. Chapter 6

Melissa didn't like this. She didn't like it at all, actually. The idea had come from Ward, an experienced agent for this type of thing, but still. It just made her uncomfortable. Training to use her telekinesis sounded like a good idea on paper, but she did have many concerns. Melissa may have been traumatized, but she was far from stupid.

What if she did something awful, like rip a giant hole in the Bus?! What if she ended up attracting Loki's attention by using her gift? Or what if she ended up accidentally killing somebody onboard? Oh God, she'd never forgive herself! All these worries she wrote down for the agents to read.

"Look, Melissa, we understand this is a difficult time for you. Really, we do. But if you end up coming into contact with Loki again, which we will do everything in our power to prevent, you need to be able to protect yourself. And that little tazer Coulson gave you might not be around all the time." Ward explained calmly, trying to sound kind.

The brunette bit her lip uncertainly. She turned to the elder agents, whom she seemed to actually have genuine trust for. This fact frustrated Grant. What had he done to deserve her mistrust? Maybe he was just too angry all the time? It wasn't his fault that the bezerker stick had done this to him, for God's sake!

He took a deep breath. Little things seemed to set him off easily.

"Listen, Melissa, we wouldn't be agreeing to this if we didn't think it'd be best for you." May said, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder.

_Are you sure?_ She wrote.

"Absolutely." Coulson added.

She smiled. A very rare occurrence, as far as the agents knew. But she did, and that was a good sign. That was progress. Finally Melissa turned to Grant and nodded in agreement.

"Great. I'll meet you down in the training room in five minutes."

The agent strolled down the spiral stairs, only to be met by Skye, who had been listening in on the whole conversation.

"Hey Grant." She greeted awkwardly.

"Skye." He said cordially, ready to go to the training room in question.

"Say, Grant?"

He sighed. "What is it, Skye?"

"When you're with Melissa... don't do your whole 'Scary-Trainer S.O. Shtick. It'll freak her out more."

The agent shot her a glare of disapproval.

"Skye, I've been working with SHIELD for years, and I know how to train people. Don't tell me how to do my job."

"Alright, I was just-"

"Stick to what you're good at. Computers. Machines. Not people." He spat.

She crossed her arms. "OH, and you're such a socialite yourself?"

"...Just stay out of this. I know what I'm doing." He said, walking off for good this time.

* * *

_Five Hours Later..._

Grant had come to realize that he didn't know what he was doing. He'd read that telekinesis can be activated under extreme stress, so he did his best to recreate the scenario in which Melissa had used her gift. In layman's terms, he threw things at her.

Every time he did, she ducked and often ran away from the object. Grant tried to be patient with her, really he did. But after explaining and re-explaining that she had to stand still and concentrate, he just... got frustrated. And by the four and a half hour mark, he started yelling.

She needed to man up if she was ever going to learn, and she wasn't helping herself by being a coward and running away! What, did she want to be defenseless?! Did she want Loki to come back and rape her?!

Now here Melissa was, silently crying in the corner. Not that she could cry in any other way... But it was still painful to watch.

"I really fucked up." Grant said to the team, after gathering them in the longue and explaining the situation.

"Yeah, no shit. Unless it's somebody you're trying to interrogate or another agent, you don't know what to do with them! You sir have no people skills!" Skye exclaimed, sitting back with her arms crossed.

"Skye, please." Coulson said, putting up a hand. "Agent Ward, perhaps it's best that you NOT be the one to train Melissa. Obviously your anger problem is affecting your ability to teach."

Grant gave a solemn nod. He understood. He was going to be kicking himself about this for weeks. How could he have lost control so easily?! What had Melissa done to deserve that? The agent felt like a jackass.

"I propose that we postpone the training for a little while. For now, we should have somebody go down and talk to her. Calm her down a bit." Melinda May spoke up. "And after that have Agent Ward apologize."

"I'll do it." Skye volunteered.

The others looked to her as if she was insane. "What, it's not like I haven't dealt with this type of thing before. I'm more of a people person."

"But she trusts Coulson and May more." Grant pointed out.

"Still, I think she'd appreciate it. I'm close to her age, and I understand what it's like to have Agent Ward point his anger in your direction."

Grant didn't respond to that last comment, but did begrudgingly agree to have Skye talk to Melissa first. Skye descended down the stairs, hoping Melissa was alright. She sighed, thinking of Ward. He could be such a dick at times. But it wasn't like he was heartless or anything. He had his good qualities, and in his own way was very caring

But when he was a dick, he was a DICK.

The training room was empty when Skye entered, or at least appeared to be.

"Melissa?" She called.

Skye saw movement out of the corner of her eye. The girl in question was standing up, wiping tears from her eyes.

"Melissa, are you alright?"

She nodded, then wrote something.

_I don't normally cry this easily. I feel like a silly little girl._

Skye put a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, hey, it's alright. You have every right to feel this way. What agent Ward said was out of line. I'd be hurt too."

_Yes, but I'm an adult, I should be able to deal with people yelling. Besides, he's right. I need to learn in order to protect myself, and learn not to flinch like a coward._

As she read, Skye felt an enormous amount of sympathy. Melissa really did want to learn, she was just having trouble getting past a mental wall. And having an easily angered, order barking agent training her probably wasn't going to help.

"Look Melissa, this isn't your fault. You're traumatized, you've had to repress your gift all your life... it's only expected that you have problems like this. Hell, I'm impressed that you're still as normal as you are." Skye explained gently.

Melissa did not smile, but she did throw her arms around Skye and hug her. The agent stumbled back a bit, surprised by this turn of events, but did return the embrace.

"It's okay Melissa. Thank you."

She pulled away to write something again.

_Thank you, Skye_.

"No problem. I'm happy to help. And don't worry, we won't be training you for a while."

_I don't want to stop training. I WANT to learn. But... can somebody else do it?_

At first Skye was taken aback. She still wanted to train?

"Sure. And we were planning on somebody else taking over. Coulson, maybe?"

Skye watched as Melissa's eyes brightened, her head bobbing enthusiastically. Apparently the idea appealed to her.

"Great. That's good. So... you wanna go back upstairs? I'm sure Agent Ward will be eager to apologize for how much of a dick he was."

Melissa's chest heaved, shoulders moving up and down. She seemed to be chuckling. This was good. This meant Melissa was getting some semblance of herself back. Now if only Skye could get her off the bus...

Maybe a field trip was in order to bring Melissa out of her shell. The gears in Skye's head were already turning...

AUTHORS NOTE:THANKS FOR READING! HOPE YOU ALL ENJOYED SO FAR!


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